Memories in Colour
by Kitaliah
Summary: "He knew not how long he had laid there, entrenched and submerged, surrounded by the vision of blue... only that it had felt like an age." Link's eyes open to a world of colour, unlocking memories long since buried.
1. Blue

Summary: "He knew not how long he had laid there, entrenched and submerged, surrounded by the vision of blue... only that it had felt like an age."  
Link's eyes open to a world of colour, unlocking memories long since buried.

A/N: Hey guys, this is the first thing I've written in almost a decade so uhhhh, please be gentle with me. :3  
Feedback is definitely appreciated! 

* * *

All he could see was blue.

The walls shimmered with the colour, the vivid sapphire hue dancing gracefully to the tinkling sound of running water. It swirled within itself, bright and dim, in incomprehensible patterns that he couldn't be certain were actually there.

This place was vague and unfamiliar. He was here and yet not here at all. Unaware of the passage of time and yet keenly aware of the fact that he existed within this place, alone. He laid immobile upon his back, staring into the endless stretch of blue. He was suspended within it. Enveloped by it. Even when he closed his eyes, it was all that he could see.

A flash struck hard within his mind, almost lucid in feeling.

It was a shred of a memory. A glimpse of something very nearly tangible. He envisioned that blue in another time, in another place. It was tantalisingly close, the vision of her blue eyes. Through them, he could almost perceive her entire face...

Those emotive blue eyes stared into his mind, beset with fair skin and golden locks of hair that came tumbling down.

He recalled how mesmerising those eyes truly were, as a storm of emotions waged within them. He could picture them well within the void that had taken the place of his most treasured memories.

He saw storm blue turn to grey, as fear and violence threatened to envelop them completely. But the eyes continued to shine back at him, almost spilling over in the darkness.

He envisioned blue turning to green, as they sparkled with the sense of discovery and joy. It was a radiance that he had once known well.

He remembered the flinty grey that steeled those blue eyes in a past long and distant. Even now, he could still feel the strength of her determination within that vision.

He recalled ocean tones, a turquoise colour that radiated mischief and wisdom in equal measure, and the ghost of laughter that had followed.

And then he fell into a softer blue, the gaze turned onto him so sweet and clear, that he feared he might lose himself to it.

He must have, for he was drowning in blue, crashing in it, as vivid as the ocean and at least twice as deep. It ensnared him, just as readily as it had eased and soothed him.

He knew not how long he had laid there, entrenched and submerged, surrounded by the vision of blue... only that it had felt like an age. In fact, it felt as though eons had passed him by. And although it had been far too long, he had somehow made his way back.

Somewhere within the depths, he recalled that he had a job to do.

"Link..."

A voice echoed in his head, something other and yet _almost _familiar. Was his mind no longer his own? Could there have been an intruder within himself? Or was this perhaps, more simply, a fleeting memory?

"Wake up Link..."

Close enough to rouse him... but still so far. Sounding as smooth and as sweet as the image of blue that had sustained him all this time. The voice beckoned to him from within the shell of his mind, rippling through his very soul.

"Open your eyes..."

That voice was tied to his blue.

And he knew instinctively, that he was very, very late.


	2. Green

His first steps up and into the world outside were blinding.

Having been enshrined in the dim haze of blue light for as long as he could remember, he was unprepared for the sudden onslaught that was the sun.

He moved slowly, taking one step at a time as his eyes adjusted. It felt as though hot fire was stabbing into his eyes and he shielded them with his forearm, as best he could, before moving forward.

At last, he clambered up the final ledge and pulled himself into the light. And then he ran, blindly, out into the open.

He conceded that there was a fine line between being brave and being stupid. Running aimlessly into unsurveyed territory definitely verged on the stupid side, especially considering that he was currently unarmed - it was dumb, and he was well aware of this fact - but never before had he felt so free.

For how long he had been contained, he could not say.

He had slumbered in a stasis for so long that this brief window of stupidity felt utterly liberating. He had _missed_ the warmth of the sun on his face - the breeze in his hair!The colours of the wild were so vivid and fresh, it looked entirely alien, though he'd known he had witnessed it all before. He just could not recall when. It was frustrating that there were parts of himself shackled deep in the recesses of his mind... and he was uncertain if they would ever return.

He reached the edge of the cliff and then looked over at the great expanse that was Hyrule. It was so beautiful, it very nearly took his breath away.

Green was everywhere. It was in the soft grass beneath his feet, which grew in wild and springy tufts. Shining with vitality. It was in the emerald green fields that stretched out before him, dotted only by their ruins as nature fought to retake them. The scars of battles past were healed over with blankets of moss and vine.

The nearby woods were lush and vibrant, where the moss had also taken to the trees. It was almost luminous under the light of the sun. A lake glistened back at him in the distance, shimmering against the rolling greenery. He could barely keep his gaze upon it before he moved it away, fixating onto something that was floating gracefully in the distance.

... Wait, was that a dragon?

He made a mental note of his location as he took in the rest of this strange land. It seemed he had the high ground, and for the time being, he appeared to be alone.

There were cliffs some way to the east that bore the look of the beginnings of a rugged landscape. To the north he spied a volcano. And then, in the forefront of that, there was a great castle surrounded by immense pillars that plunged into the skyline. The very sight sent shivers down his spine and he felt a tingle of fear in the back of his throat. It felt as if there were something in there waiting for him... dormant until the moment that he, himself, awoke.

_'Link...'_

Her voice spurred him onward.

She told him that he was to be the light of Hyrule -_ her_ _light_ \- and he felt himself moving forward without a second thought. Such was the power of those eyes he held safe within his memory, timeless, full of wisdom, and grace. He had known that he had loved her once. How could he not? When she was the only shred of himself that he had retained when all others were lost.

Initially, he was surprised to discover that his muscles had not atrophied and that movement came easily, like no time had passed at all. He briefly pondered _who_ he used to be. His body was lean and muscled, yet riddled with scars that he could not recall receiving. Clearly he had been someone important. Her voice had reminded him of such, as though she were standing beside him in that moment.

She had guided him back out into reality. A reality far more vibrant than his hazy world of dreams and half remembered faces.

He looked to the Sheikah Slate that she had left for him, gazing upon it with wonder. The magic that ran through it had to be a blessing. For what else could have sustained him for an age - leaving him to feel as though he had merely gone to sleep the day before?

To the west lay the massive ruins of something that what was_ once _a structure of momentous beauty. Pillars lined the dilapidated remains of an old stone-paved road, and the temple itself soared skyward, its intricate arches coming together to form a tower upon the top.

There was a single room within that noble tower, though it appeared to be partially beaten and destroyed by the elements. The windows were shattered, and sunlight glimmered brightly through the few shards that remained. The light turned a greenish hue as it rippled through the accumulated leaves and vines that roped their way down towards the ground, where empty shells of spidery machines lay beneath a mess of wild roots and weeds.

Nearby, he spied the smoke from a small campfire twining ever upwards. Upon the moment its distinct scent hit his nose, he felt drawn. Drawn towards the temple, towards the campfire, towards what could be his first human contact in this new life.

This was his first step of this journey.

If he were to ever find the courage to remember himself, and become who he was supposed to be, then it had to begin _here._


	3. Red

A crimson tempest, raging wildly in inconsistent shapes and patterns surrounded the ruins of Hyrule Castle. The malevolence so thick and heavy he could feel it, even from a distance.

It erupted violently once he had awoken the first Sheikah Tower upon the Great Plateau and had not since ceased - threatening to obliterate Hyrule and everything surrounding it. Calamity Ganon had grown desperate since his awakening. Somehow, it knew that Link was once again moving through the world, and that it might soon be outnumbered... or so it seemed.

It seeped its caustic poison into the earth, causing catastrophic damage to everything that came into contact with it. The once cheery Castle town had been reduced to ash and dust, its ruins jutting out of dusty earth, never to regain their valor.

But somehow, faintly, the brightest of all lights held firm within... keeping the calamity contained. Her indomitable will holding firm against its unstoppable force, locked into place for a hundred years. She had held firm and so would he.

He saw red.

It was a powerful feeling, standing in the place where it all began. He had fought his way through the ruinous Hyrule Castle, searched every room and tower and remembered it all through the lens of another life. It bustled with vivacious energy in a time long past.

He had finally made it here after travelling the entire length and breadth of Hyrule. He ascended every tower and investigated every shrine that he had come across. He met every challenge that had been thrown at him, completed each test and puzzle and been granted an audience with the shades of the gurus who awaited him.

Each had tested him... and he had not been found wanting.

He recalled pieces of his journey as he had made his way across the country. An image here or a moment there. Shards of his memory had been scattered to the winds. And so, he ventured to each and every location that she had left for him within the slate, regaining himself piece by piece.

Soon, he could remember every moment in vivid detail. Each time it would hit him like a lightning strike and he would recall every fragment of the memories as they played out before him.

He would feel the sweat on his body, taste the coppery tang of blood and smell the unmistakable scent of death that surrounded him. And then, all at once, he would be pulled back to the present - trembling from an exertion he hadn't felt in a hundred years.

As he travelled the lands, he eventually happened upon the place where he had died... and yet, not died.

The place where he had failed Hyrule.

Where his body had been torn and tattered, and the only thing pulling him forward was sheer power of will. He had been spent. There were far too many enemies... and he had too many injuries to count.

However, he had still managed to fulfill his primary objective, for he was _still _shielding his Princess. Zelda stood behind him, dirt-ridden and wearied, but otherwise unscathed and he would not allow her to be harmed for as long as he could breathe.

He remembered being outnumbered - that there were too many guardians closing in. The mud was slick and it was becoming harder each time to scramble back to his feet. He needed to protect her!

Then suddenly, he was falling before she threw herself in front of him, hand blazing with a beautiful light that illuminated everything within vision. There was absolute stillness for a moment... and then, the guardians simply... collapsed.

After endless travelling, praying at every shrine and alter, losing their closest friends, losing their family and country - she had finally done it. She had saved him. Even when he was supposed to be protecting her!

Yet, they had failed everyone else.

He laid there in the storm, his blood pooling beneath him to mix with mud, sweat and storm water. Blind to the chaos and ruin that now lay around them. She pulled him close and he looked up into those glorious eyes... her mouth was moving, but he could no longer hear any sound. The silence pulled at him until his eyes finally closed and his memory faded to black.

She had salvaged his body, returned the Master Sword to the lost woods and left a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow when he awoke. Her faith in him unwavering.

She had protected him, prepared him and then returned to what was once her home... allowing it to become her prison. She had sacrificed everything to protect her country and her people, and held firm for 100 years in resolute conviction for this moment.

Now he stood just outside the sanctum, collecting his thoughts and steeling himself for the next fight. His entire life, his wealth of experience, the people who he had met and helped all for his princess, depended on this final battle. If he were successful, then they could rebuild. They could create a new life without this shadow of malevolence hovering over their world.

The spirits of the champions stood in place, steadfast and ready to do their part so that they might finally complete their mission. He was glad to have known them... for even in death, their strength gave him courage.

He was ready.

It was now or never.

He had no intent on making his princess wait any longer than he had to, for she had been waiting long enough. He squared his shoulders, checked his weapons, and then stepped forth toward the inner sanctum... disposed to end it all.


End file.
